This invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for fiber optic pigtails. This invention relates particularly to apparatus for cutting a solder wire to a selected length and placing it in position for mounting an optical fiber on a substrate in proximity to a light source or a photodetector.
The current industry practice for optical coupling an optical fiber and a crystal diode is to use solder preforms. Manufacturing and positioning solder preforms is expensive and time-consuming. There is a need in the art for an improved technique for delivering a predetermined amount of solder to a pigtailing station where an optical fiber and a crystal diode are to be coupled together.